{"id":278311,"date":"2026-05-20T17:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T17:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/278311\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T17:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T17:10:13","slug":"toddler-critical-after-dad-finds-her-submerged-in-port-st-lucie-pool-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/278311\/","title":{"rendered":"Toddler critical after dad finds her submerged in Port St. Lucie pool"},"content":{"rendered":"

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 A toddler was airlifted to a hospital and remains in critical condition after being found submerged in a Port St. Lucie pool.<\/p>\n

The Port St. Lucie Police Department <\/a>said that officers responded to the 3200 block of SW Crumpacker Street following a call regarding a drowning involving a 20-month-old child on Thursday, around 9 p.m. <\/p>\n

According to police, their preliminary investigations suggest that a 19-year-old family member opened the sliding glass door to let the family dogs outside, accidentally leaving it slightly ajar. <\/p>\n

The report states that the young girl then exited the house unnoticed and was later found submerged in an above-ground swimming pool in the backyard.<\/p>\n

Police said that the child’s father discovered her and immediately alerted her mother, who began performing CPR while calling for help. <\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A toddler was airlifted to a hospital and remains in critical condition after being found submerged in a Port St. Lucie pool. (WPEC)<\/p>\n

See also: Parents\u2019 fast action saves baby after alleged daycare assault leaves skull fractures<\/a><\/p>\n

When officers arrived, they reported finding the mother actively trying to save her child. A neighbor, hearing the cries for assistance, called 911 and rushed over to help the family until emergency personnel arrived.<\/p>\n

The child was transported to Tradition Medical Center, where she was stabilized before being airlifted to Nemours Children\u2019s Hospital. Officials say that she remains in critical condition. <\/p>\n

The investigation is ongoing, and authorities continue to look into the timeline of events leading up to the incident.<\/p>\n

Prevention is key<\/p>\n

May is Water Safety Month. The American Red Cross,<\/a> the Florida Department of Health<\/a> and other Florida safety and water-safety organizations recommend the following guidance to prevent accidental drownings.<\/p>\n

Florida continues to lead the nation in child drowning deaths, and South Florida remains one of the state\u2019s highest-risk regions for accidental drownings involving young children.<\/p>\n

According to the Florida Department of Health, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for Florida children ages 1 to 4. State data shows Florida recorded:<\/p>\n

99 child drowning deaths in 202193 in 202297 in 2023*<\/p>\n

*Most recent data available<\/p>\n

Palm Beach County alone recorded 200 accidental drowning deaths between 2020 and 2023 across all age groups, according to the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Palm Beach County.<\/a> In 2023, six children drowned in Palm Beach County, with victims ranging from toddlers to young children.<\/p>\n

Officials say most child drownings happen quickly, silently and close to home \u2014 often in backyard pools, canals or retention ponds.<\/p>\n

The American Red Cross and Florida health officials stress that drowning rarely looks dramatic:<\/p>\n

Most victims do not splash or yell for helpDrowning can happen in less than a minuteIt can happen in only a few inches of water<\/p>\n

Safety experts say preventing drownings requires \u201clayers of protection,\u201d rather than relying on a single safety measure.<\/p>\n

Drowning prevention tips<\/p>\n

Active supervision<\/p>\n

Keep children within arm\u2019s reach near waterAssign a designated \u201cWater Watcher\u201dAvoid distractions like phones, reading or alcoholClearly rotate supervision duties between adultsNever assume someone else is watching the child<\/p>\n

The Red Cross emphasizes: \u201cDon\u2019t just swim \u2014 watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pool safety<\/p>\n

Install four-sided fencing at least 4 feet highUse self-closing, self-latching gatesAdd door and pool alarmsRemove toys from pools when not in useKeep pool covers secured<\/p>\n

Swim lessons<\/p>\n

Enroll children in formal swim lessons earlyTeach water competency and floating skillsRemember swim lessons reduce risk but do not make children \u201cdrown-proof\u201d<\/p>\n

Life jackets and flotation<\/p>\n

Use Coast Guard-approved life jacketsWear life jackets in open water and while boatingDo not rely on floaties or inflatable toys for safety<\/p>\n

CPR and emergency preparation<\/p>\n

Parents and caregivers should learn CPRKeep rescue equipment nearbyCall 911 immediately in emergenciesStart CPR as soon as possible if needed<\/p>\n

Officials note that bystanders are often the first rescuers before emergency crews arrive.<\/p>\n

\u201cReach or throw, don\u2019t go\u201d<\/p>\n

Rescuers are urged to:<\/p>\n

Reach with a pole or objectThrow a flotation deviceAvoid jumping into dangerous water unless trained<\/p>\n

Open water safety<\/p>\n

Never swim aloneSwim where lifeguards are present when possibleWatch for rip currents, changing weather and deep waterNever dive into unfamiliar water<\/p>\n

Special concerns involving autism<\/p>\n

Florida agencies say children with autism face especially high drowning risks:<\/p>\n

Nearly 60% of Florida drownings involving children age 5 and older since 2021 involved autistic or possibly autistic childrenWandering behavior near water significantly increases risk<\/p>\n

Officials encourage additional supervision, adaptive swim lessons and individualized water-safety plans for children with developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n

Key takeaways<\/p>\n

Safety officials say no single prevention method is enough. The best protection combines:<\/p>\n

constant supervisionbarriers and alarmsswim lessonslife jacketsCPR trainingemergency preparedness<\/p>\n

Experts also stress that most drownings are preventable with proper supervision and layered safety precautions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 A toddler was airlifted to a hospital and remains in critical condition…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278312,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172],"class_list":["post-278311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","tag-port-st-lucie-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278311\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}